Comments

I like the Zaino stuff (but, do most of you users have families and jobs and things that take time? Man, I can burn some hours with the Z-man!)

I have a 2-month old '01 430E. The hood is scratched like crazy. I only wash and handle the car myself, and I think I'm doing everything according to Sal (Zaino). I have on 3 coats of Z-5 even, and still scratches. Will it just take a bunch more? (The car is black, which is a pain.)

Cats -- our cat likes to sleep on the hood of my 430. Warm and in a covered carport. Messy. Could the scratches relate to him? My mother used mothballs to keep cats off her car. I tried that -- came out the next morning and the cat was doing everything but eating the mothballs. Snuggled right up next to 'em. Bummer!

I think your (and my first) expectations are too high. The Z5 is great at hiding swirls due to dust and dirt, polishing with dirty or less than 100% cotton rags, etc. But scraches are very hard to hide. So are other paint blemishes like scuffs, old water spots, etc. You might need to buff them out with an abrasive product first. Look at http://www.meguiars.com/ under professional products for their line of glazes. Many are available at the better auto part stores or body shop supply stores.

But that being said, the Z5 really does hide the polishing swirls very well, and after a few coats with Z5 and Z2, it is you poured glass on the car!

Well, that is a good point. But it is a rather harmless outlet for my obsessive/compulsive side, and even though Zaino products are not cheap, they are a lot cheaper than many other posible compulsive activities. And once the prep work is done and the first couple of coats are on the car, it doesn't take as much time. Besides, If you do your wife's car first, she is apt to be more understanding.

I just picked up my '01 E320 and notice that the SOS light stays on continuously - is this normal? I did not subscribe to Tele - Aid. The dealer says that all '01 SOS lights stay on. I was wondering if that's true.

No doubt the scratches are from your cats. Black is the hardest color to maintain even in the best conditions and allowing your cats to sleep on the hood is crazy and makes it a hopeless situation. OMG, I cant believe a cat would be allowed to sleep on the hood of a new BENZ! Maybe you could put a moving blanket on the hood at night, or better yet, keep the cats out of the garage. BAD10

My 2001 E55 should arrive in 14 days and I would like to know if there is any way to get the comand system to pick up TV like it does in Europe. I know that several states do not allow TV viewing from the front seat so the system does not work in the US, but is there a simple way to get around the blockage?

Well, not only that. The TV systems (SECAM and PAL) in Europe are completely different than the one North America (NTSC). The COMAND systems fitted in the European cars have TV tuners for these Euro. systems, so they wouldn't work here anyway. Besides, from what I've been told the reception isn't always that great anyway.

Has anyone had a remote start mechanism installed on an E-class? Any problems? Does it invalidate the warranty? I could call my dealership about the last question, but they don't seem too knowledgeable about matters like that.We built our house back in the early 60's when most people had a one car garage, and I promised my wife she could keep her car in the garage this winter. It would save me a lot of early-morning windshield scraping if I could get the car warmed up a few minutes before I went outside.

No, Canada also uses NTSC since the standard was developed for North America, so no COMAND TV here either. NTSC is actually inferior to PAL, but it was developed partly because they wanted to be different from the rest of the world.

As someone mentioned, the TV button is not available also because of legal reasons. I believe that North American law prohibits a factory-installed TV to be directly next to the driver while the vehicle is in motion. Although I like the setup, I don't think that it is a "stupid rule". There are enough drivers going around with cellphones in one hand already.

Yes, both 3rd row seats in the ML can be removed very easily (and seperately). They're also light, so it's not a problem lugging them around. If you want the luggage space but down want to remove the seats, you can simply fold the 3rd row seatbacks down.

The E320 wagon does drive similarily to the sedan. It feels a tad slower off the line because of the extra weight; this is a non-issue for normal city and highway driving.

I'm not sure that a remote starter mechanism can be added to the E-class because it uses the infrared signals to disable the immobiliser. It can be done in the M-class (which doesn't have the SmartKey), but only by compromising the security system somewhat- the spare key with the transponder has to be mounted closeby so that the immobiliser is permanently disabled. No, it shouldn't void the vehicle's warranty.

I'm pretty gullible, Gary. Is there really a cat tree? The cat does like to hang out, and sleep, in the joists for the carport. But the heat of the hood sucks his dirty paws right down on my Benz. I'd even pay the $175.

Something that you need to be careful of, Muddog.When ever approaching your car, with the cat on the hood, don't EVER startle, scare or tick-off the cat...personal experience. The first thing the cat does is extend its bloody claws into your paint (hence the new scratches) and then it turns to hiss and spit at you...Now assuming that you have better aim with your briefcase, I have yet to be able to cleanly remove the cat with a single swing...(hence the old scratches). Plus at no extra cost, the wife will remind you of the time you tried to kill her favorite pet. Try to get a dog that hates cats...don't know if its better to have something pee on your tires or scratch your paint. Good luck Keith

I think the car cover is the best idea. Besides, it's good for your car even without the cat. Look at http://www.precisionauto.com/ for some you can buy on-line.

A college roomate of mine (many years ago) had a book called "Kitty Torture" regarding behavioral modification of cats. I believe the correct kitty torture in this case is to super glue the cat to the hood and drive around using it as a hood ornament for a week. ..... this is not my idea, I am merly restating someone else's idea.